By Guest BloggerSynopsis of “Inflatable K:” A spirited Zafira, parks her dusty old car in her favorite quiet spot the day before her wedding. This could be the last time she is there. She indulges in all her favorite things; laughing and singing her lungs out with her unusual best friend. But the perfect setting turns into…
By Guest BloggerEvery time I walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic, I feel a little on edge. I could blame it on the location, and how it’s hidden away out of the public eye. Or on the protesters, who are often standing outside with signs. Or even on the high level of security, which makes me go…
By Guest BloggerThe Department of the Army declared on Sunday that they will deny a grant of easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. This proves to be a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe who have been protesting the building of the pipeline since the tribe sued the Army Corps of Engineers, a…
By Guest Blogger— In the days that have followed since election night, numerous explanations for Donald Trump’s victory have circulated. Some political analysts have pointed to methodological errors in polling, while others have argued that the decisive factor in this election was the simmering grievances of the “White, working-class.” I want to offer a different explanation for…
By Guest BloggerTrigger Warning: Abuse — So… when they asked “Why did you leave?” I said So… He was a bit abusive Not too much. Just twisted my arms A few times, Hit a bit too hard A few times But he made me feel loved A bit too few times He couldn’t mark his territory With…
By Guest BloggerDua (prayer/supplication) has been called the “weapon of the believer,” and rightfully so: The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Be cautious of the dua of the oppressed person, because there is no barrier between his dua and Allah (SWT).” (Narrated in Sahih Bukhari) Well, we’re in need of this weapon now, more than ever. I’m not saying…
By Guest BloggerTrigger Warning: Suicide, Self Harm, Mental Illness, Bipolar Disorder. Do you know what is really frustrating? People I come across now who “cannot function unless they’re, like, doing 1,000 things at once.” And I’m not talking about those who like mentally need to do that in order to survive. I’m talking about neurotypicals who romanticize…
By Guest BloggerTrigger warning for sexual abuse. — My grandfather was my teacher His lessons focused on teaching me how to make O’s with cigarette smoke and pray He’d warn me the only way to fail is if I don’t participate As long as my teacher was pleased and never complained My parents never asked what I learned in school…
By Guest BloggerWritten by Sultana Mangal. I flipped through the latest issues of J-14 and Teen Vogue. None of these girls looked like me. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Not a single person with olive skin tone in site. I was 13 years old at the time and I was struggling to accept the features that came…
By Guest BloggerWritten by Nabintou Doumbia. — Wednesday, Nov. 9th, single-handedly carried me through stages of grief that I had never previously experienced. From being utterly shocked and denying what was happening to returning to shock and then simply being pissed off—not a single moment of it was familiar. Perhaps, in many ways, we can call this…
By Guest BloggerWritten by Safia Ansari. — In 2015, the year Donald Trump announced that he was going to run for president, hate crimes against Muslims surged at 78 percent and anti-Arab hate crimes doubled in number. To put this into perspective, hate crimes only rose 5 percent overall. This disparity is staggering. We live in a country…
By Guest BloggerOn Arbaeen, the 20th of Safar, millions from around the world gather in the city of Karbala in Iraq. Arbaeen, or the “40th Day,” marks 40 days after the 10th of Muharram–which is the day of the battle of Karbala. Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW), was asked to give his allegiance to the womanizing oppressor and…
By Guest BloggerWritten By Irtefa Binte-Farid. — Donald Trump is the president-elect of the United States of America. I had hoped it would not come to pass. As a Muslim hijabi woman of color, I have never been blind to the type of hate he enabled through his campaign rhetoric, but I was not shortsighted enough to…
By Guest BloggerWritten by Amara S. Chaudhry. — Questions for America: what does the word home mean, if it is no longer the place where my mother gave me birth how many different ways are there to say the word here when you ask me where I am from why do you ask me where…
By Guest BloggerWritten By Maisha Razzaque. — “Don’t hate me, please.” I ignore the text as I watch my country bring a man who inspires open bigotry into the highest office in the land. The first few hours following the election are numb. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and find out that this was…
